We Are Legendary!
by Artemis Day
Summary: Zutara Week 2011. Day One: Mask. Day Two: History. Day Three: Social Networking. Day Four: Secret. Day Five: Awkward. Day Six: Legendary. Day Seven: Caught.
1. Day 1: Mask

**.1 Mask**

A rainbow of bright colors assaulted Zuko the moment he and Katara set foot in the store, a far too late warning of the horrors dwelling within. Of course, Katara was entranced by it, she was always the most open to this sort of thing. It really wasn't so much the colors that bothered the Prince as it was the faces. The faces sculpted into stone and plaster, giving them a 'real, but not too real' look that honestly creeped him out a bit.

He couldn't imagine why anyone would open a store that sold nothing but masks, and yet here he was, and here _they_ were. Simple masks; elaborate masks; half face masks; full face masks; happy masks; sad masks; pretty masks; horrifying masks.

Most of them fit the last of those categories.

"Zuko, look at this," Katara was holding up an intricately designed light blue mask. The swirling design was reminiscent of the water tribe, likely why it stood out to her.

As it was, Zuko couldn't find it in him to care, and made as much known.

"Don't we have supplies to buy?" He not-so gently reminded her. "The others are going to get suspicious if we're gone for too long."

"We only left ten minutes ago," Katara countered, her hands, including the one grasping the mask, on her hips. "Besides, we've already pretty much gotten everything we need… oh, look at this!"

Zuko sighed and rolled his eyes. What was it with women and shopping? He doubted he'd ever get it. Extra annoying was the store owner, who'd been sitting quietly behind the counter this entire time. Though his face was down and he appeared to be reading some sort of ledger, Zuko couldn't help but feel his eyes watching them constantly. So why didn't he say anything, didn't he _want _to sell something? This didn't seem like the place people would frequent.

Katara, meanwhile, had replaced the blue mask and now gazed at an orange one, muttering things he couldn't hear. He turned his eyes away, vainly searching for something to keep him entertained until Katara was ready to go.

He found two masks, separated from all the others by a display case. Something about them held his attention, but he had no idea what. They weren't all that fancy, nor were they an unusual size or shape. The one on the left was black in color, a full mask with a plain, smooth surface that gave off a noticeable shine in the light. The one beside it, in stark contrast, was all white and seemed to be made of a softer material. What really surprised him were the smiles they wore. Unlike the large, goofy smiles of the others, these two were smaller, softer even. They looked more like actual human smiles. Zuko found his hand reaching up to the glass, and it was only them that he realized he'd walked across the room while lost in his thoughts.

Audible breathing alerted to him that he was not the only one. Zuko broke his gaze at the mask to eye his female companion, who's own eyes with filled with a great interest.

"These are really nice," She commented. "Good choice, Zuko."

He blinked, then did a double take.

"We're not buying these!" He almost shouted, earning a soft glare from Katara.

"Of course we're not," She answered matter-of-factly. "I'm just saying, they're nice."

Zuko eyeballed the masks again, giving a short nod as he did so. A small smile worked it's way onto Katara's face, not unlike the masks they were studying. Her hand shot out abruptly, pressing onto the glass just over the black one.

"That would look good on you," She remarked.

For a second time, Zuko just blinked. The statement had come from nowhere and he wasn't really sure how to answer.

"On _me_?" He repeated dumbly.

His answer was a wider smile and a nod.

"I don't know why, the color suits you, I guess," She shrugged.

Zuko glanced from Katara, to the black mask, and finally to the white. Something went off in his head as he focused on the softer mask. A mental image of Katara's face behind it found it's way into his mind's eye. He didn't know why he'd thought of that, but he supposed it was a nice picture.

"That white one would look good on you," The words came out before he knew it, and earned him another smile.

"Thanks, Zuko," Katara answered. Something stirred within Zuko at her words, but he wasn't sure what it was.

They lingered only a few minutes longer, their interest (especially Zuko's) waning quickly. The two benders left the store just as they came: carrying a satchel each, filled with earlier purchases and talking quietly amongst themselves. The store owner watched them go, still without lifting his head. Once they were out of sight, he finally did so, his eyes immediately going to the two lovely masks.

He'd crafted them himself many years ago. Long, hard hours of perilous work went into their creation. The same could be said for a good percentage of his merchandise (the older ones anyway, he was getting on in years and couldn't work like he used to), but none of them were as special to him as those two, and none of them had the same meaning behind them. He'd seen many a young couple entranced by them, the reasons why were always very clear to him, just as they were now.

"They really did make an excellent choice," His voice cracked, signaling his age just as much as his wizened, yet still bright, features did. "The masks, no, the _faces _of the bride and groom. Those two will wear them well someday."


	2. Day 2: History

**.2 History**

Katara burst into the room without knocking, walked briskly to the large bed with an expressionless face, and threw herself face first down on the mattress.

"I hate the Fire Nation."

Zuko looked up from his desk on the other side of the room, smirking playfully.

"That's not very comforting coming from the future Fire Lady," He remarked.

The water bender sighed angrily and lifted her head to rest on her chin. Her eyes were narrowed, which did little to change Zuko's easy expression as he stared back at his fiancée.

"I'm sorry," She ground out. "It's just I can't take _one more second _of these etiquette lessons. If I'm not memorizing a bunch of dining rules that frankly make NO sense, I'm getting scolded for having one foot half an inch higher than the other while at the dinner table. And don't get me started on the dance lessons."

Zuko clicked his tongue, knowing he should probably be informing Katara that as his future wife, she had no choice but too learn proper manners and that complaining was an insult to him and his culture, but he couldn't. Memories of long, tedious hours spent in his own etiquette lessons left him with great sympathy for her pain. As for the dance lessons, well, he'd have felt a lot better about that if he'd been allowed to be her partner. He _really_ didn't like the little smile her teacher's assisstant wore whenever he was holding her on the dance floor.

The Fire Lord pushed his chair out and stood up, walking purposefully to the bed and sitting down beside Katara, who barely reacted to his presence.

"I understand," He told her gently. "But there must be some class you enjoy."

Katara's lips pursed. A moment later, she was picking herself up and turning over to sit next to him normally. Zuko smiled and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

"Well, I guess a few of them are tolerable," Her tone was somewhat joking, which pleased Zuko. It seemed her frustrated feelings were calming down. "I really like taking history lessons."

Zuko blinked. He mentally listed in his mind all the subjects Katara was required to study in preparation for her position as his wife. Etiquette, dance, politics, public speaking… that she would choose history as her favorite surprised him. As everyone knew, the history of the Fire Nation wasn't exactly squeaky clean.

Katara seemed to notice her fiancée's evident confusion and smiled, her eyes softening as well.

"I mean it," She assured him. "Recent history aside, it's very compelling, the way your Nation came to be."

Zuko found himself smiling. The look of genuine interest she wore was rather endearing. He pulled her a bit closer, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder as she continued to recount her most recent lesson.

"I especially liked the lecture on Fire Lord Yofun."

Zuko blinked, he hadn't expected that. As Fire Nation royalty, Zuko had been required to study the lives of all the Fire Lords of the past. He himself had never found in particularly fun.

Fire Lord Yofun had reigned over three hundred years ago, and frankly, he'd done very little of note. In fact, these days he was mainly remembered for his incredibly short temper. In his lifetime, he was involved in a record 21 (known) Agni Kai's, most of which he'd been goaded into through insults and childish behavior. He had to wonder what about him got Katara's attention.

As if reading his mind, Katara smiled playfully.

"He reminds me a lot of you," She said.

Zuko blinked, needing a second to process that. He then frowned and sighed angrily as Katara began to giggle.

Well, at least she was in a better mood now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, this is short... and not my best work. **

**Unfortuately, what I'd originally written was even worse than this upon reading it over, so I had to almost completely re-do it.**

**Oh well, the rest will be better. Hopefully. XD**


	3. Day 3: Social Networking

**.3 Social Networking**

ZUKO

From** The Fire Nation**

**BASIC INFORMATION**

**About You **Uh… I'm Zuko. I'm 16 years old and I'm the prince of the Fire Nation. I'm not really sure what else to put here… Also, if Azula's reading this, stop tagging me on photos of the Phantom of the Opera. That was never funny to begin with and you know it.

**Interested In **Women

**Relationship Status **Single

**Sex **Male

* * *

><p><strong>MY WALL<strong>

_What's on your mind?_

**Katara**

Hey, Zuko! :)

**Zuko**

Agsdh agagh

**Katara**

Excuse me?

**Zuko**

Sorry, it's this stupid laptop. I think it's broken, it keeps messing up when I try to type.

**Katara**

Oh, that sucks.

**Katara**

Why don't you get it fixed? Or call tech support?

**Zuko**

I don't have the money right now, and I hate calling them. They never understand a damn thing I'm saying. Stupid outsouaegeag

**Zuko**

Dammit!

**Katara**

lol

**Katara**

Anyway, I wanted to ask you about your relationship status.

**Zuko**

What about it?

**Katara**

Well, you've listed yourself as single.

**Katara**

I wouldn't make a big deal about it, except you started on facebook three weeks ago and you still haven't changed it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are still dating, right?

**Zuko**

Of course!

**Zuko**

You don't think if I was going to break up with you, I'd do it over facebook, do you?

**Katara**

No, I don't. J I was just curious.

**Zuko**

I've been trying to change it, but I don't know much about this website, not to mention the layout is really diffeeag

**Zuko**

Really delegaegaeg

**Zuko**

Didgiehgas

**Zuko**

Kklgahgaga

**Zuko**

…hard.

**Katara**

XD

**Zuko**

Thanks for the support.

**Katara**

Calm down, Zuko. I'll help you.

**Katara**

Go to your info page, okay?

**Zuko**

Hang on, let me open a new tab.

**Zuko**

Okay, got it.

**Katara**

You see at the top right hand corner a gray button that says 'edit profile'? Click it.

**Zuko**

Yeah, got it.

**Katara**

Now, on the left hand side will be a list of options. Click on 'Friends and Family'

**Zuko**

Oh, okay. I see what to do from here. Just change it to 'In a Relationship' right?

**Katara**

Yup. :) Once you've done that, type my name in the text box that pops up and hit save.

**Zuko**

Got it.

**Katara**

Did it go through?

**Zuko**

Almost, stupid keyboard keeps acting up.

**Zuko**

Hang on.

**Zuko**

WAIT, SHIT!

**Katara**

What? What is it?

**Zuko**

No, don't look, Katara!

**Katara**

Oh. My. God.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Zuko<strong>__ is in a relationship with __**Momo**_

_**Azula **__and __**Ozai **__like this_

**Suki**

O.O

**Aang**

…

**Sokka**

What the Hell?

**Toph**

Way to go, Sparky! XD

**Mai**

We broke up so you could date a LEMUR?

**Zuko**

IT WAS A MISTAKE! I MEANT TO PUT KAEOIHG

**Zuko**

GODDAMN THIS THING!

**Toph**

roflmfao

**Zuko**

I'm so sorry, Katara.

**Sokka**

You'd better be.

**Katara**

It's okay Zuko, I still love you, and I know it was an accident. It's pretty funny, actually.

**Zuko**

Don't rub it in.

**Zuko**

But thanks, I love you too.

**Katara**

^^ xoxo

**Ty Lee**

Awww!

**Sokka**

*gags*

**Appa**

Momo, how could you do this to me? I thought we had something special!

**Zuko**

…

**Katara**

…

**Sokka**

…

**Aang**

…

**Mai**

wtf?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I don't know about you guys, but I'm with Mai on this one. XD**


	4. Day 4: Secret

**.4 Secret**

Soft music plays in the background, an old time Fire Nation dance tune Zuko vaguely recognizes from the parties he attended in his youth. The Fire Lord closes his eyes and twiddles his thumbs, bored out of his mind and wishing desert would be served already. At least then, he won't have to watch the irritatingly choreographed movements of his guests any longer. One in particular

Beside him, Mai gives a bored sigh. She hates these parties as much as, if not more than, her husband does. The action jolts Zuko from his thoughts, and he feels his face go red from a combination of embarrassment and shame. Her timing is impeccable, as if she knows instinctively the unfaithful thoughts in Zuko's head. That, or she turned her head at some point when he wasn't looking and noticed his eyes obsessively following iher/i every move.

Her, being Katara. The master waterbender and wife of Avatar Aang. Zuko can't keep his eyes off her, she is so beautiful. Her exotic looks capture quite a bit of attention whenever she visits the Fire Nation, something that always leaves her flustered since, apparently, she was never considered all that beautiful among her brethren (it amazes Zuko that the Water Tribe men are apparently struck with mass blindness).

She wears a blue dress, standing out among the sea of reds and greens. Aang is no better, his bright orange robes clash with the red of every Fire Nation woman to respectfully ask for a dance. They move slowly along the middle of the dance floor, husband and wife, together in love. Zuko squeezes his arm rest, a small amount of smoke leaking out before he realizes what he's doing and loosens his grip. The song ends just as Aang and Katara stop, staring into each other's eyes with bright smiles as the crowd applauds them.

Another song starts immediately, and the couple separates, Toph having requested (read: demanded) a dance sometime earlier. This leaves Katara alone amidst the dancing couples. She looks around, as if trying to decide whether she should sit this one out or not. Then her eyes find Zuko's and his heart stops.

She smiles. His heart starts up again and begins to melt. When she starts to walk over, he knows he's in trouble. She's beautiful. So beautiful. She's always been so beautiful and kind and loving and smart and-

"Zuko," her voice is light and happy. How did she reach them so fast? "Mai, what are you two doing? Isn't this your party, why don't you dance?"

"I don't dance," Mai's answer is curt and abrupt, just like always.

Zuko glances at his wife, then back at Katara and shrugs.

"I'm not much of a dancer either," he admits softly.

Katara rolls her eyes and sighs, a lighter sigh than Mai's had been.

"Come on, Zuko," She prompts. "Everyone can dance, how about you and I have one?"

He blinks, his heart beginning to race again (damn it, how could she always affect him like this?). Her smile is friendly and completely devoid of anything but innocence. Of course it is, all this is to her is a friend asking a friend to dance.

Friends, nothing more.

He turns to Mai, praying the beads of sweat forming on his forehead aren't too visible. She spares him a glance and shrugs her shoulders.

_'Do what you want,'_ her eyes say.

Zuko nods, trying to control the shaking of his hands as he stands and gently takes Katara's, allowing her to lead him onto the dance floor.

The song playing isn't too slow, but not too fast either. Zuko puts his arm around Katara the way he'd been taught in his dance lessons years ago. His other hand remains clasped in hers as they move with the music. Katara is still smiling, but that was a given. She always smiles lately, ever since her wedding two years prior.

It had been quite an affair, with all the friends they'd made during their travels in attendance. Some of them weren't particularly happy to see Zuko, more than once either Aang or Katara had to act as peacemaker. It seemed the war wasn't quite over for everyone. It would take time to heal the gaping wounds, Zuko knows this well.

He moves away to spin Katara around, she laughs softly, making him smile a goofy smile.

"See, you _can_ dance," she whispers to him as he pulls her close again.

"You're a good teacher," he answers, the weight in his stomach growing.

This isn't right, he tells himself. He shouldn't flirt with Katara, she's married and so is he. And he loves Mai, he really does. She's his best friend and his wife. She trusts him implicitly, she wouldn't have let him dance with Katara if she didn't. Mai knows he'd never cheat on her, he'd never stray just as she herself never would.

He loves Mai, but he also loves Katara. He loves her so much, he can hardly stand it. When it had first started, he didn't know. It wasn't when he was coroneted, or even when he married Mai. When was it? When did he suddenly want nothing more than to forget about Mai, take Katara in his arms and make her forget about Aang? When had these horrible, selfish, impure thoughts first entered his head and refused to leave?

"Zuko, the song's over. Zuko?"

He's broken from his trance again, Katara's blue eyes gaze up at him with confusion and wonder. She has the most beautiful eyes.

"Huh?" he says dumbly. "Oh, sorry."

Her smile returns, making him joyous and miserable all at once.

"Not paying attention, huh?" she asks playfully. "I must be a boring dance partner."

"No!"

The response is so frantic, so quick, it leaves them both in brief shock. Several people around them stop to look, but Zuko pays them no heed. They know better than to question the Fire Lord anyway.

"I..." Zuko thinks fast. "You're not, I just-"

_'I love you.'_

"I'm just kind of tired..."

_'I love you so much.'_

"Thank you for the dance, Katara."

_'Why couldn't you have been mine instead?'_

Her smile returns. He'd do anything to keep it on her face all the time.

"It was my pleasure," she answers, her voice going oddly wistful. "It's great to see you again, Zuko."

His voice catches in his throat, leaving him only able to nod in return. Aang calls to her at that moment, inviting her to come and hear the story Toph is telling him. She bids Zuko a quick farewell and starts for her husband. Zuko stands there completely rigid, watching her go.

This will be the last time he sees her until his birthday celebration, six months from now. How will she be then? Will he still love her? Will she still love Aang? Perhaps by then, she'll be on her way to starting a family with her husband.

It doesn't matter, anyway. Zuko's mouth will remain closed. He'll think it all he wants, but he'll never tell her the truth. No matter how much it hurts, he'll never tell anymore, because he loves Katara too much to destroy her happiness.

For Katara's sake, Zuko will always keep silent.

* * *

><p>Katara only half listens as Toph regales them with tales of her recent time with the Kyoshi Warriors. Aang laughs heartily at her demonstration of a fight she'd had with an upstart who thought Toph was weaker simply because she couldn't see. Katara nods her head in all the right places, but says nothing.<p>

She feels Zuko's eyes leave her, her heart sinking as she knows he is probably going back to Mai. Her head turns just a bit, enough so no one notices, and she indeed sees Zuko and Mai talking in hushed tones on the sidelines. Zuko smiles warmly at whatever his wife is saying.

He loves Mai, of course he does. And Katara loves Aang, she tells herself that everyday. She loves Aang. She married Aang. Zuko is just a friend. She doesn't love Zuko. She does NOT love Zuko.

But she does.

Inwardly, Katara allows herself to cry, but she'll never let those tears fall for real. She won't see Zuko again for several months. Perhaps she shouldn't see him at all ever again. The thought cuts her heart in two, but maybe it would be for the best. She should never have allowed herself to feel this way.

Katara loves Aang, but she loves Zuko too. She loves Zuko more than she ever thought possible, but it doesn't matter. Zuko is happy and in love with Mai, and she would never try to take that from him.

For Zuko's sake, Katara will always keep silent.


	5. Day 5: Awkward

**.5 Awkward**

Zuko drummed his fingers against the table. He clicked his tongue four times in rapid succession, gave the brightly room of his summer home a once over another four times, and tapped his feet against the hardwood floor to the beat of a song he'd heard a few days before.

He was bored. _Intensely_ bored. _**Phenomenally**_ bored.

Was the _hell_ was taking her so long?

"Katara," He called out to the closed door across from him. "Aren't you done yet?"

"In a minute," was her exasperated reply. "Really, Zuko, since when are you so impatient?"

'_Since you started taking twenty minutes to get dressed,' _Zuko's mind answered.

Not that he was incredibly eager to make it to this party. The nobleman and his wife throwing the party were some of the biggest suck ups Zuko had ever met during his time as Fire Lord. No doubt this party would just be another seven hours of endless fake compliments and hounding by the sniveling old couple.

Several minutes passed, and Zuko was growing increasingly antsy, to the point where he felt like storming into the bathroom and dragging Katara out. Just then, he heard a loud, long whine as the door opened fully. Zuko sighed in relief.

'_Finally,' _he thought to himself. _'Why on earth would she need that much time anyw-'_

His train of thought stopped along with the rest of his brain functions. The only one still working was whichever one controlled his jaw bone, allowing it to figuratively drop through the solid wood table.

Katara made some last minute adjustments to her hair piece as she walked without looking straight into the living area. This meant she was momentarily unaware of Zuko's eyes, which roamed the length of her body unabashedly. She was wearing traditional fire nation formal wear, something she only did for important events or meetings with the council. Any other time, she could be seen in blue water tribe clothes, tailored especially for the Fire Nation's climate. Though she preferred the colors of her home, Zuko honestly believed she looked better in red. Maybe he was biased, but he didn't care.

His eyes darted all over the place, from her uncovered shoulders, to the low cut midriff top, to her hips swaying in those long, thin material pants, to her brown hair flowing freely pasted her shoulders. Zuko forced himself to close his mouth before she saw. What was up with him anyway?

They'd been married for around two years now, and in that time he'd seen her… everything numerous times. So why did seeing her in a standard outfit he'd seen dozens of women wear in the past make his face heat up like this?

True, the form fitting top showed her toned stomach well, not to mention her cleavage line stopped just short enough to leave something to the imagination. Her hair blew a bit as a gust of wind entered the open window, making her look even more beautiful. No, not just beautiful.

Sexy. Katara, without even a shadow of a doubt, looked unbelievably _sexy_.

Zuko fists clenched, the heat of his cheeks rose a little more every second.

That's when he realized the heat was pooling somewhere else in his body too. The Fire Lord completely froze. He was now able to take his eyes off Katara, but they only went to the wooden table that covered his lap and the sudden object of his immense humiliation. Assuming Katara noticed, anyway.

Cautiously, Zuko pulled his chair in more, until his stomach was pressed hard enough against the table to almost, but not quite, wind him.

At this time, Katara finally got her hair into a satisfactory position and looked over at her husband, unsure what to think when she found him sitting up abnormally straight in his chair with his hands laced together on the table and a much too wide grin on his scarred face.

They stared at each other, a bird cawing somewhere outside the only sound.

"Zuko," Katara finally spoke. "What are you doing?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Zuko answered quickly. A bit too quickly, in fact.

"Well," Katara studied him for a moment. "You spent the last few minutes bugging me to get moving and yet you don't appear ready to leave at all."

Zuko shook his head rapidly, the unnatural grin widening, if that was even possible.

"No I am," He answered in a high pitched voice. "I just… want to sit here for a few minutes first."

"…why?"

"Because, uh…" Zuko searched frantically for an excuse of some kind. "I… just love the view from here. You can see the trees and the sunset and everything! I was hoping to take some more time to admire it, that's all."

Katara raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, but how do you expect to do that when you're facing the opposite direction of the window?"

Zuko froze, his mouth wide open, making him look incredibly stupid. His wife was clearly getting fed up with this behavior, which turned out to be a very, very bad thing as she began to step closer to him, her breasts bouncing in _that shirt_. Zuko gulped, his facing shining with sweat as she approached. He could feel the heat increasing, along with his… happiness.

It was driving him insane, but it was nothing compared to what happened next.

"Zuko, are you alright?" Katara asked as she leaned across the table, giving him a full view of her cleavage.

Oh Agni, she was _killing_ him.

"Zuko," She said his name louder and with evident concern. "You're sweating like crazy, you're not getting sick, are you?"

Before he could answer, Katara placed her palm flat on his forehead; her other one went to her own so she could compare. All the while, he was still getting an eyeful of her cleavage.

Didn't she _notice_ that?

Did she even _care_?

Was she torturing him on _purpose_?

"Well, you don't feel sick," Katara's voice rang out again as she removed her hand. "Is something bothering you?"

Oh, truer words have never been spoken.

"N-no, not at all," Zuko stammered, shrinking back as much as he could under his gorgeous wife's analytical stare. Her analytical and _very attractive _stare.

Okay, this was too much.

'_Damn it, Zuko,' _His inner voice screamed. _'Stop before she sees you! Think about something else, THINK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE… uh… Azula… Azula in a thong… __**Uncle**__ in a thong…'_

"And now you're turning green," Katara observed, bringing a hand to her chin as if in thought. "Okay, I think we'd better stay in tonight since you're clearly in no condition to go ou-"

"NO, I'M FINE!" Zuko shouted.

She raised an eyebrow. Dammit, that looked sexy too, and just when he was finally coming down!

"Come on, Zuko," Katara walked around the table. "Let's get you to bed."

'_Bed?' _He thought to himself. _'Bed… with Katara… wait-'_

"No!" Zuko grabbed the table and pulled it as hard as he could to his person.

"Wha-" Katara cried, startled. "Zuko, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," He argued. "I'm just… just…"

"Just _what_?" Katara exasperatedly demanded.

Zuko stared into her eyes, he didn't dare look anywhere else. He had no idea what to tell her. They were supposed to be at this party in ten minutes, and all he could think about was his wife's body underneath his and-

Zuko gasped as he suddenly pitched forward. It seemed while lost in his thoughts, he'd loosened his grip on the table, allowing Katara to pull it away and reveal all of him to her. He straightened himself in his chair… immediately realizing what a mistake that was as Katara's blue eyes were now firmly on his lap, her mouth slowly falling open as her dark skin turned red.

The air around them became tense. So much so, Zuko felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment. Katara's eyes went to his for a moment, then back down. He had no idea was she was thinking, but he had to say something, _anything_ to make this situation less awkward.

"You- uh," Not a good start at all. "You… I like your outfit. It looks good on you."

The words had no infliction and definitely shouldn't have come out of his mouth like that, or at all.

'_Way to fix things, Zuko,' _His inner voice scoffed.

Katara lifted her eyes again, taking a deep breath through nose and pursing her lips.

"You… like my outfit," she repeated slowly. "You couldn't have just told me that?"

Zuko blinked. What? No yelling, no freaking out? But she much be so embarrassed.

Though he didn't speak this aloud, somehow Katara must have figured out what he was thinking. Her response was the absolute last thing her husband expected.

Katara laughed.

The Water Tribe-born Fire Lady laughed so hard she had to clutch her stomach. Well, at least she didn't look stunningly attractive when she laughed.

Instead, she looked _adorably_ attractive. That was roughly as bad in this situation.

"O-oh man, I can't believe it," Katara choked out between laughs. "Even after two years, you still get like this!"

Zuko glanced around, as if expected someone to pop in at a moments notice and see them. Particularly him since he was still very 'happy' at the moment.

"You," He began nervously. "You're not… I mean, this whole thing is so…"

"Uncomfortable?" She supplied as her laughter died away. "Maybe a bit, but I don't see why it's such a bad thing that you're attracted to me. We are married, you know. That's supposed to happen."

"I know," Zuko said defensively, crossing his arms over his chest and not even bothering to hide his lap. Not like it mattered anymore. "But I mean, this happened right before the party and I just… I don't know."

The blush returned to his face, making Katara giggle as she moved to walk down the hall to the front door.

"Don't worry," She said cheerfully. "I already told you, we're not going to the party. You aren't feeling well, after all."

Zuko tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"What?" He asked dumbly. "But I'm not sick, remember?"

Katara smiled. "I just remember that you're very _sick_ and we need to stay in tonight because I need to _take care _of you. Understand?"

He didn't, at least for a second. When he noticed just how wicked her smile was and how heated her eyes were… well, he'd hadn't felt happier all day.

Katara noticed, and her smile widened.

"Just go up to bed, alright?" She asked/ordered him. "I'll be letting our coachmen know we aren't going after all."

She turned on a heel, her hips swaying just a bit more than usual as she headed for the door. Zuko sat rigid in his seat, his mind needing some time to reboot itself before he followed her instructions.

And now that he thought about it, he was feeling rather _sick_. Luckily, he had the best, most beautiful nurse in the world to make him _better_.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *singing* IIIINUENDOOOOO! INUEEEEENDOOOOO! IIINUEEEEENDOOOOOOO!**

**And that's the song I wrote for this prompt, what do you think?**

***is pelted by 9001 tomatoes.***

**Oh, I don't have to f-king impress you people.**

**(On a side note, this one's probably my favorite entry).**


	6. Day 6: Legendary

**.6 Legendary**

_Many thousands of years ago, when the Fire Nation was still young, there lived a young man whose parents were very ashamed of him. This was because he was the oldest child and only son, and yet he couldn't firebend._

_His sister, in contrast, was an excellent bender, but in those days, a female couldn't inherit the title of Head of the Family. His parents felt they could never give the title over to a non-bender. One night, the father pulled his wife aside._

"_This child is a disgrace," he exclaimed. "He brings shame to our name as it is, we must ensure he never becomes our family's head."_

"_We must be rid of him," the wife agreed._

"_Then tonight, while he sleeps, I will go into his room and take his head."_

"_No!" The wife objected. "He may be a failure, but he is still our son. We will not kill him, we will merely send him away. So far away, that he can never find us again."_

_The husband agreed, and the next morning, the parents announced to their two children that they would be taking a trip to the Earth Kingdom that very day._

_The young man packed a small bag and placed it on the cart. Feeling a degree of pity for her useless son, the mother also snuck in a few gold pieces and some bread, along with a small knife for protection._

_The family drove their cart to the dock and bought four tickets. _

"_Dear son," The mother then addressed the young man with false tenderness. "Your father and sister and I need to rest our feet before boarding the ship, can you take our bags aboard and wait for us?"_

"_Of course, mother," The young man answered happily, not realizing her treachery. _

_The young man took their bags and boarded the ship. As soon as he was out of sight, the family turned their wagon around and joyously went home. Meanwhile, the young man waited in vain for his family, until the ship began to move away from the harbor. The young man became puzzled, and went to search the ship for his family, fearing they may have been left behind by mistake._

_He looked up and down but never found a trace of them, and nobody he asked knew where they were either. The young man sat down besides the bags and opened them, thinking he might find something to eat in one of them. He found the items left by his mother in his bag, but in his family's bags was only straw and dirt._

_Now realizing his family's deception, the young man wept, for he was all alone in the world forever. He then discovered that the ship he was on wasn't destined for the Earth Kingdom at all, but rather for the Southern Water Tribe._

_They arrived days later. The young man shivered and shook in the ratty winter coat he'd bought from another passenger. He'd used up almost all the money his mother left him in the process. Only three pieces of gold remained, barely enough for a decent meal._

_The young man was forced off the ship by the ship's captain, as no passengers were allowed on the return trip. _

_The young man wandered the village all day, receiving nothing but scorn from the locals and having no fire within him to keep warm. Night arrived and the young man struggled to sleep in a makeshift igloo he'd constructed._

_That's when he heard it, a song so beautiful, so hypnotizing, that it could only have been sung by a God. _

_Captivated by the sound, the young man was lulled out of his igloo and roamed the cold, white landscape in search of the voice's owner. He searched until the sun came up and the singing ceased. The young man went back to the village, demanding to know who had been the singer._

"_You are mad," They all told him. "There was no singing!"_

_But the young man would not listen to them, for he knew what he heard and he would find the owner of the voice no matter what. _

_That night, he waited patiently to hear the music again. He was soon rewarded and once again went looking for the voice. He searched endlessly until the day arose yet again. Still, he would not give up._

_The third night arrived, and the young man began his search again. This time, he came to a point were the singing suddenly became louder. He knew then that he was close, and ran as fast as he could in that direction. _

_He found himself in a place where the seas were calm and the moon sat enormous in the sky. Bigger than he'd ever seen before and would ever see again. _

_In the middle of this scene was a figure dressed all in blues and whites. Her hair was the same brown of the water tribesmen and fell soft over her shoulders. Her arms moved in complicated arrays, directing a floating ball of water in various shapes._

_Though he couldn't see her face, the young man was entranced by her, but he was too afraid to approach her. So he sat quietly and watched her move with the water and sing her song. _

_When the sun rose, she vanished before his very eyes, the water falling back into the ocean and becoming still. _

_The young man now understood that the mystery woman was a Goddess just as he'd suspected. _

_He sat there all day, eating the bread in his bag and drinking water from the ocean. That night, the goddess returned and continued her song. The young man once again did nothing but watch. _

_He continued to watch her for the next three nights, becoming more and more enamored with her until the sixth day, when he came to a decision._

"_I've watched long enough," he said to himself. "I must speak to this Goddess. I wish to see her face."_

_When night came, the young man sat in his usual hiding spot, waiting for her to come. The Goddess arrived and went to her spot, singing and moving the water. The young man then stood and slowly walked to her. So deeply involved was she, the Goddess didn't notice the young man until his hand found her shoulder._

_Startled, she turned around, and the young man saw her face for the first time. Her beauty astounded him, for it was greater than that of any human woman. Her eyes, which bore into his, were the deepest shade of blue, just like the waters themselves._

"_Who are you?" The Goddess demanded. "Why would you come here?"_

"_Forgive me," The young man answered. "I was merely captivated by your beautiful song. I needed to see for myself who the singer was."_

"_You heard my song?" The amazed Goddess asked, for no human had ever heard her song before._

_The young man nodded._

"_It's beauty is only challenged by your own," he told her with a smile. "Forgive my impudence, but I believe I have fallen in love with you. I can no longer imagine life without you."_

_Though the Goddess was stunned, and saw that the young man was quite handsome for a human, her heart was frozen in ice, and so she turned up her nose._

"_You are just a human," She sneered. "And I sense that you have no bending in you, what on earth could you offer a Goddess?"_

_The young man was hurt by her words, but his love and determination far outshined it._

"_I can offer you nothing," He admitted, taking her hands in his. "Nothing except my love."_

_His answer surprised the Goddess, and her cold heart melted a bit at his honest words._

_Before any more could be said, however, the sun began it's ascent, and the Goddess had no choice but to leave her sanctuary until the next moon. The young man was disappointed, but resolved to wait for nightfall to get his answer. _

_The Goddess came with the moon that night just as always. She was not surprised to see the young man waiting for her and allowed him to approach her with no fear or scorn._

"_I am a Goddess of the Night," She explained to her suitor. "When day arrives, I must return to my home in the sky and await the moon's next rising. You are a human who sleeps in the night. How then could we be together?"_

"_I will sleep in the day," The young man answered quickly. "Then we can spend the nights together."_

_The Goddess had no response, and spent the rest of the night singing her song and trying to ignore the confusing young man who watched her. But as she sang, he remained on her mind and her heart began to melt a bit more._

_When she returned the next night, the Goddess again allowed the young man to approach her._

"_I am a Goddess," She told him. "I do not requite sustenance to live, but you are a human. If you do not eat or drink, you will die. How then can we be together?"_

"_I will eat fish from the ocean," The young man answered. "And it will provide me with water as well."_

_The Goddess could not answer, but her heart melted a little more._

_The next night, she arrived again and again let him come to her._

"_I am a Goddess," She said firmly. "I live eternally young and will never die. You are a human. Your body will age and wither and grow ill and one day you will die. How then can we be together?"_

"_That is the future," The young man answered. "It is true that one day I will die, and you will live, but for now we are here together and even if I die, my love for you never will for as long as the moon rests in the sky."_

_The Goddess was shocked and overwhelmed by the young man's love. Her heart fully melted, and she fell into his arms and wept. Finally, she returned his love and the two became one that very night._

_Now every day, the young man would sleep through the daylight, and awake to his beloved in the nighttime hours. Together, they would dance, the young man would listen to her sing for him, and they would bask in their love bathed in moonlight._

_Many years went by, and as the Goddess predicted, the young man grew older and older. His hair grayed and his strong body weakened. Soon, he could no longer dance because he tired out so quickly, and he could no longer listen to her sing as his hearing failed him._

_Soon, it became clear that her love was dying. The Goddess made a desperate plea to her father, the King of the Gods, asking that he allow her beloved into their home and make him young again and grant him immortality. _

_But the King just stuck up his nose, no sympathy for his daughter in his heart._

"_I have never approved of your love," He coldly informed her. "He is a human and he can't even bend. I will not let such filth into this house."_

_The Goddess begged and pleaded, but her father wouldn't be moved. _

_Dejected and miserable, the Goddess went to her love that night and found him at death's door._

_The Goddess took him in her arms, as he'd done with her so many nights before. She wept over his body, listening to his fading heartbeat and exchanging with him final declarations of love. _

_When the sun was just about to come up, the Goddess made a decision. If her father would not let her love join her, then she would simply join him._

_What she'd never told her love was the reason she couldn't see him in the daylight. If she was touched by the sun's rays, her body would melt away completely. No immortality would protect her._

_As the sun rose, the Goddess stared defiantly into it's light while her beloved took his final breath._

_Her body began to melt, while in the home of the Gods, the Goddess's father saw his daughter about to end her own existence, and his heart softened. It was too late now to follow through with her request, so instead, he took hold of their souls and transported them into the sky, where they became stars, shining beside each other for all eternity._

_Those stars still exist today, remnants of the young man and the Goddess he loved. Their spirits live together for all eternity, enwrapped in the love that they share and helping other young lovers find each other with their guiding light._

"The end."

Zuko smiled wide, his mind needing a moment to register the looks he was getting from his companions as his story came to a close.

They ranged from confused (Suki and Aang), to bored (Sokka), to completely unimpressed (Toph).

The Fire Prince's smile dropped as heat rose to his cheeks. He really didn't like getting looks like that. The last thing he wanted was to make his tentative new friends, most of whom he'd spent the previous year chasing all over the world with ill intentions, think of him any more negatively than they already did.

"Oookay," Toph broke the silence, her expression never changing. "Cool story, Sparky. Mind explaining why you told it?"

Zuko glanced around, noting that everyone else clearly wanted an answer as well. He coughed, rubbing the back of his head and straightening up.

"It was just really quiet," He mumbled. "Nobody was talking, so I figured I should say something, but I wasn't sure what. And I remembered that story because my Mother would tell it to me before bed and well…"

"Well," Toph interrupted him. "That was definitely one of the lamest stories I've ever heard."

Aang and Suki sent gentle glares the earthbender's way, but Sokka just snorted and gave a nod.

"I'm with her," He said casually. "Seriously, Zuko. That story makes no sense. First off, why is it such a big deal that this guy can't bend? I mean, I don't bend, my father doesn't try to ship me off."

"It was a different time period," Zuko reasoned, a twinge of annoyance at the flippancy laced into Sokka's words. "And it's a different culture than yours. Besides, it's just a legend."

"Yeah, but as a rule, legends and myths and the like make no sense," Suki commented. "For one thing, why could the guy hear the Goddess's song when no one else could? You never explained that."

Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but then stopped. His mind went over the story again, his mother's soft voice speaking in his head, and he realized with a cold feeling that Suki was right. The legend didn't explain it at all. How did he never notice that?

"And another thing," Sokka added. "How come the ship wouldn't let him back on to go home? Did his parents buy them off or were they just jerks or what's the deal?"

"How come the water tribe people didn't like him?" Aang queried, scratching his head. "He didn't even do anything to them."

Zuko didn't even bother to look at either of them, because again, he had no answer. He just hoped there were no more plot holes for them to point out.

"Oh, and by the way," Toph flatly began.

'_Oh no,' _Zuko groaned in his mind.

"Why the heck didn't that stupid Goddess go to her father when he was still healthy?" The blind girl practically demanded. "I mean, wouldn't that make much more sense? Not only could she get the age problem out of the way, without all that, 'Our love will live on' schlock, but she'd have years to spend wearing her father down until he finally agreed. Then she wouldn't to have a sappy suicide scene and spent the rest of forever as a ball of hot gas next to her dead stalker boyfriend."

"Okay, enough," Zuko deadpanned, standing up from the campfire. "You're right, it makes no sense. It's just a story, anyway. Forgot I said anything."

The Fire Prince started off, his annoyance still going strong as he walked along the cliff, staring out at the ocean. He sighed, feeling as if his childhood had just taken a punch to the gut.

Embarrassing it may be to admit, that story had been one of his favorites as a child. Maybe it was merely because of the comforting voice his mother told it in that lulled him into a peaceful sleep, but either way, he didn't like having it tainted by the reality of it's nonsensical-ness.

Zuko looked up at the sky, easily finding the two stars. They shone bright together, so close their sides were touching, like two people holding hands.

The young prince continued to walk, but kept his eyes rested on them. He thought of the young man in the story, and wondered what kind of song the Goddess must have sung to so entice him.

All he could hear right now were the crashing waves, moving in a steady beat and melody. Wait… that wasn't the waves.

Zuko blinked, the sound reaching his ears nothing like the sounds of nature. Whatever this was, it had a tune. Unfamiliar, but pretty, and sung by a voice that wasn't the best, but still decent. The prince glanced around, curious as to where it was coming from, and his eyes fell on a figure he instantly recognized as the only member of the group to not hear his story.

Katara was sitting on the edge, humming the song to herself and kicking her feet into the air rhythmically. Zuko didn't know why, but he couldn't look away, even though he'd seen her like this several times before. Something about this moment was different. Maybe it was the song, or the fact that this scene seemed incredibly close to the one in the legend.

The only difference being that he only liked Katara as a friend. And she currently hated his guts, not that he blamed her.

Zuko stood back and watched her, the moonlight being the only thing that made her face visible. From here, he could see her eyes, filled with sadness and determination to win the war. They were so unlike the naively idealist eyes he'd first encountered only a year ago.

Only one thing remained the same: They were still that same shade of blue, and they were still beautiful.

Oh, _two _things.

Zuko blinked, the thoughts in his head unlike any he'd had before, at least where Katara was concerned. Suddenly, he didn't feel his earlier thought of liking her as a friend was right anymore. Now, he felt like there was something else. Something that hadn't been fully discovered yet. What it was, he couldn't say.

"Hey!"

Zuko started, noticing that Katara had stopped singing sometime while he was lost in thought. She had gotten to her feet, and was storming over, her face showing little else besides anger.

"Katara…" Her name felt strange on his tongue. Strange… but still nice. He could probably get used to saying her name.

"Is there a reason you were staring at me?" She demanded. "Don't tell me this is all an elaborate plot to kidnap me as bait for Aang or something."

"Of course not!" Zuko cried defensively. "I just heard you singing and you sounded nice, that's all."

Katara raised an eyebrow, clearly still not convinced.

"I see," She answered curtly.

There was an awkward pause that followed this statement.

"Who uh…" Zuko stopped to rephrase his question. "What's that song called?"

The waterbender frowned, giving him as many non-verbal signs as possible that she didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"I don't know," She answered. "It's just some old water tribe song. My mom used to sing it to me before bed."

A tiny gasp left her throat directly after saying this. Her eyes became wide as if she'd just told him an embarrassing secret or personal family business. No more words were exchanged between them. Katara just studied Zuko's unflinching face before her shock wore off and she moved pasted him. Not once on her way to the others did she look back.

Because of this, she didn't see Zuko's golden eyes following her every move. The prince no longer knew for sure just how he felt about Katara, and he had a feeling after that encounter, she was probably the same way about him.

One way or another, Zuko felt he suddenly had a better understanding of why the young man was so entranced by the Goddess.

And high above them in the deep black sky, the two adjacent stars shined ever brightly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Damn, Toph's a harsh critic. XD**


	7. Day 7: Caught

**.7 Caught**

Katara loomed over her prey, his slumbering form only partially covered by a thin blanket. He rolled over in his sleep, making the waterbender tense, but he didn't stir. Now on his back, she had a perfect view of his defined chest and abs. Katara bit her lip and looked away, now wasn't the time for such thoughts, especially not about Zuko.

The Fire bender's face was covered by tufts of black hair, his torso rising and falling steadily. She kept her breathing as low and even as possible. Her heart still raced, and she prayed he couldn't hear it the way she could.

'_Relax, Katara,' _she told herself. _'Relax… just relax… you can do this.'_

Katara breathed in, a determined frown etching onto her face. This was it.

She leaned forward ever so slowly. In the dim lighting, she can only just see his face and the lack of shining gold indicates that his eyes and his mind are closed off to the world. Perfect.

The water bender moved expertly, placing her hands on the bed and pressing down gently, so much so that the bed didn't make a sound and he remained blissfully unaware of her presence. She smirked, leaning even closer, until her face is directly over his. She eyes his mouth, lips partially opened to reveal clean, white teeth.

Katara pulled some hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. She regretted not tying it back before beginning her mission. Her heart continued to race, if only she could calm it. She forced her nervousness aside and instead filled her mind with images of her long-awaited triumph over Zuko.

This time, this time for sure, she would win. And oh, would it be a sweet victory.

She leaned in.

Closer.

Closer.

Almost there…

"You lose."

Katara gasped.

The next thing she knew, she was grabbed in an iron grip and pulled down onto the bed. Zuko rolled over, adjusting himself so that Katara was underneath him. His golden eyes bore down at her. Katara groaned in anger even as the heat rose inside her.

"Damn it," she cursed, making her husband of three years chuckle. "I thought I had you this time."

"You'll just have to keep trying," Zuko answered, playfully. "Maybe next time I won't catch you."

Katara rolled her eyes. He said that every time they played this game, every single time. Still angry, Katara tried to slide herself out from under her husband, but then his leg wrapped itself around hers, holding her in place. Katara growled, gazing back into the golden light of Zuko's eyes.

In spite of herself, the heat within her grew, as did the desire to pull Zuko down and force her tongue into his mouth. Gods, did she ever love it when he looked at her like that.

As if reading her thoughts, Zuko descended on her, their lips meeting in an intense kiss. Katara sighed, her angry feelings fading quickly. Before they completely vanished, the Fire Lady made a silent vow.

One day, she would win their little game. Maybe not tonight or tomorrow, but it would happen. It would happen sooner than her darling husband thought.

She smiled against his lips, both from her thoughts and from the pleasure she was getting from this. Katara's hands found Zuko's hard chest and ran up and down, tracing every contour as they went.

The time for games was over. Now it was time to indulge in those earlier thoughts of hers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Short, sweet and to the point. XD**

**Okay everyone, that's it! Zutara Week is over... and I promise I won't cry. *desperately holds back tears* Perhaps one day, I'll write a Zutara chapter fic, but that remains to be seen. I don't have any ideas for one at the moment, but that could change at any time. Seriously, I get fic ideas so randomly it's not even funny. XD**

**And even if that doesn't happen, I guarentee you'll be seeing me again next year. Until then, let's have a toast. *raises glass* To Zutara! :D**

**Ciao!**


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